Reefer tips

Plan your trips across those areas that get to be 115 degree, try to get in and out of that area asap, make sure the office knows of food banks that will take refused loads quick.

 

Try to drive much as your log books will allow always try drive at night when cooler better on tires better on everything

 

heck then parking is easy if you drive at night.

 

What is the rejection pulp temp for fresh chicken? Doing a rare broker load for us. We never do fresh meats and I've never been to a plant where the broker says driver must be on dock and pulp and count the product. [Like they've had temperature problems with this shipper before] Broker wants 26 degree F continuous in transit. Whole legs, 40# net cases, 1,000 cases minimum.

PECO Foods Pocahontas, AR > California

I'm going to feel so dirty and ashamed going into a fresh poultry plant. I never wanted to be a "chicken hauler" and not only that, I don't have the lights or speed for it, either.

 

Never in all my years hauling fresh chicken have i ever seen or heard of pulping a chicken load. Fresh chicken should have ice on top of the chicken in the box. That is where "chicken slime" comes from. The legs may be in plastic bags in the box, but the one's i hauled were loose in the box, covered in ice.
And they may not even let you on the dock, citing food safety laws.

 

I know. The broker may just be citing some standard line to me but we use this broker regularly in a handful of regions we rarely final in where don't have direct customers, and this is a first such instructions from them.

I've never been allowed on a dock at a meat packing place back when I was with a meat hauler outfit. But I've never been to a "Peco Foods" facility either but it's a brand new facility. Well, whatever. will find out in the morning

 

Ok, let me say that I share with your feelings entering a chicken processor (Shipper) plant. We have a few along the ozarks off road in the border between Oklahoma and Arkansas. Ive taken a trailer into a few to get loaded with a reefer. The entire workforce is not American. Probably not legally anyhow. Yet. (I hope they are working on becoming citizens) When I show up nothing but bad thoughts come out of these people. They must think I am a Lord or something. (Not lord Jesus, Im referring to a old South way of living when you have people under you as a Lord does. The closest equivalent would be a English Earl or similar on his Manor. I think they would love to slice and dice me for packing.

Here is a overview

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Transportation_Security_Guidelines.pdf

Here are two snippets from that source, and source will contain additional links for food reefer work.

Trailers and trucks should be pre-cooled for at least 1 hour before
loading to remove residual heat from the insulation and inner
lining of the trailer as well as from the air of the trailer.

For pre-cooling,
the doors should be closed and the temperature setting
of the unit should be no higher than 26 °F. (Note, however, that
poultry products labeled “fresh” must be shipped at temperatures
higher than 26 °F, usually between 26 °F and 32 °F.)

Dock
foremen should document that all freight is 40 °F or lower
before loading. Freight should not be allowed to remain on the
loading dock in warm weather in order to prevent the product
temperature from rising above 40 °F.
●
Note:
Federal
regulations require processed poultry to be packaged
and shipped at a temperature no higher than 40 °F
.

 

This new facility is well organized and laid out and doesn’t smell as bad as most. Broker told me could load anytime between 04:00 and 14:00. Well they called me in at 13:30 after a 10 hour wait and was promptly loaded. But I really can’t fault the shipper. Turned out, the meat broker wanted a truckload of jumbo legs with today’s kill date. Finding this out at the shipper, I was then prepared to wait until much later. But I suspect there could have been more thorough and open and honest communication somewhere in the between the shipper, 2 brokers, and the carrier.

And no, they don’t allow drivers on dock.